The Art Fund Prize 2012 will reward excellence and innovation in a museum or gallery in the UK for a project completed or undertaken in 2011. Last year, the British Museum took home the prize for its groundbreaking joint project with the BBC, A History of the World.

Lord Smith said: “Whittling the achievements of Britain’s museums over the past year down to a list of ten was an unbelievably challenging task. The outstanding quality of the projects that we finally settled on, however, perfectly encapsulates the vitality and dynamism of a part of our nation’s cultural life that continues to innovate, push boundaries and engage the public, even in these straitened times.”

Members of the public can now give their views on which museum should scoop the prize on an online forum launched this week. A shortlist of four museums will be announced in May and the cash prize will be awarded on 19 June.